to see some rain moving through. right now out there, 90 degrees. that's the current temperature, that heat index of 93, a warm and humid afternoon once again. 90 in frederick, maryland. 84 in manassas. 87 in sterling. and down to the south, fredricksburg coming in at 86 degrees. you see that area down toward the pink? that area in southern maryland and into portions of virginia around fredricksburg, that's a severe thunderstorm watch and it is in effect until 10:00 for the potential for some strong storms. you also notice towards front royal, we are looking at storms there right along 66 and then even further to the west, back towards cumberland, maryland, we are looking at storms there, too. they will continue to make their convey off toward the east or at least try to. most will continue to die out as they move further east and that's very good news for us. but if you're heading out and about, i would not leave without an umbrella, at least a small umbrella. you may see showers and storms through 9:00. further to the south through around the 11:00 and then waking up tomorrow, i think everything will be on the dry side.

i'll let you know when the rain could move through parts of the area as far as the fireworks go coming up. wendy? >> all right, thanks, doug. it is a 4th of july ritual, people heading to the national mall for tonight's 4th of july celebration. and, of course, our national fireworks. but that is not necessarily the best seat in the house. some have headed to other parts for fireworks. derrick ward is live in southeast d.c. for more on the day's festivities. where are you? >> reporter: we are on morris road in southeast. we're in a parking lot of our lady of perpetual help catholic church. as you can see, this is a breath taking vista. the union army realized how important this was, and washingtonians, they appreciate this, as well. and this has become just one of the places where people in this area like to come to celebrate this nation's independence. ♪ well before the fireworks, there is the parade, and people come from far and near to see

it. >> other than being a little hot, it's great. i love it. >> we came here only for this parade. so that's it. it's incredible being in this beautiful country. >> reporter: the mall isn't the only place where d.c. residents like to come for the 4th. here in potomac park, they stake out their spots early. >> actually, i was supposed to be the watcher, and everyone went to the store, and left me here to cook and grill. so i said, well, you know, i might as well just get it started. >> the kids. family, friends, strangers. and ducks. >> reporter: and, of course, the fireworks are central to the theme of july 4th, and d.c. has got some restrictions on what you can and can't have. >> anything that explodes is illegal, and certainly those are the most dangerous. >> reporter: at this licensed stand, yet another family tradition. >> all of our fireworks have been inspected and approved.

so we only sell approved fireworks. >> reporter: and, of course, viewing them can be as much fun as lighting them. and here at this site in southeast where union soldiers once defended the city, washingt washingtonians have come for years to take it in. >> always coming over, just hanging out, yeah. a lot of fun. >> reporter: and as you can see, a clear view of the washington monument of the mall, and even on the horizon, some of the other jurisdictions. alexandria is over that way, and you may be able to see some of the displays from montgomery county once they all get started. of course, weather permitting. now the -- our lady of perpetual help men's club is pretty much running this. and they say all are welcome. they ask, though, if you do come out here, that you don't bring your pets, don't bring a grill or your own fireworks. and, of course, who would want to be distracted from this lovely vista you have? i'm sure it's breath taking at night once the rockets red glare fill the sky. live in southeast. back to you. >> derrick, you do have the best

seat in the house. that is a great view. a lot of people don't know about it, until now. thanks. >> reporter: until now, yeah. shhh. metro has added extra trains to ham all those headed downtown to celebration the 4th. stations open until midnight. the smithsonian closed for most of this day. it will, however, reopen after the fireworks. metro is advising customers to use other stations to get to the mall for the celebration. of course, after the 4th festivities have wrapped up, thousands of folks will be hitting the roads, right? all over our region for the return to reality. that includes all of the people who left for the long beach weekend. here's a live look now at the bay bridge on the other side of the chesapeake. right now, everything appears to be smooth-sailing, but traffic is expected to get worse as the day goes on. for all of the latest traffic updates on the bay bridge, you can call 1-877-bay-span. or for updates in virginia, just call 511. well, a day at the beach

ended in tragedy for a family at sandy point state park in maryland. authorities say a young boy drowned there after he disappeared in the water. news4's elaine reyes is live at sandy point with a warning for, of course, all parents. elaine? >> reporter: that little boy is only 5 or 6 years old, and authorities are reminding people to never swim alone. now, there are lifeguards here at the beach, but this happened in a section that wasn't guarded. and we're also being told that this young boy was only found in four feet of water. at sandy point state park, the sights and sounds of summer are everywhere. on this july 4th holiday, there's also tragedy. >> there was some people with some earphones, headphones, like scanning the water and everything. they had mentioned that someone had drowned this morning, the paramedics. so i made sure that we were all out here watching the kids. >> reporter: a young boy went

missing in the water as the day began. park workers sprang into action. >> they formed a human chain in the water, which allows a large number of people to search a very large area very rapidly. and that's how the child was located. >> reporter: when the incident happened around 8:00 this morning, authorities estimate there were already 1,000 people on the beach. parents who heard about the drowning kept an extra vigilant eye on their children. >> it is hard, but you've still got to maintain safety for your kids and your family members, and stay out there with them. if they're going to be out there, parents need to also be out there, too. >> my two 7-year-olds with me. they don't know how to swim. i don't know how to swim myself, so we don't get too deep. >> reporter: anne arundel authorities say the young victim was not wearing a life vest.

>> it only takes a wave to knock a small person over. from there that startles them. from there they can injest water and submerge unless someone stops that chain of critical events by grabbing the person or swimming alongside of them, tragedy can happen. >> reporter: authorities are not releasing the young boy's name at this time. they're also not saying much about the circumstances surrounding the drowning, whether his parents were nearby or if he was with family or friends. wendy, back to you. >> elaine reyes, thanks. we're learning more tonight about the bicyclist killed in last night's severe storm. officials identified him as 56-year-old neil wright. he was riding his bike along the canal toe path last night when high winds and heavy rain knocked down several trees. one of those trees fell on top of him. he was pronounced dead on the scene. last night's storms caused excessive damage to parts of

northern virginia, knocking out power to thousands. dominion is working to restore electricity to more than 5,000 customers. tracee wilkins has a look at the damage in arlington. >> reporter: this tree sliced through someone's roof. no one was injured at the time, but it split the top of this house in two. some roads were closed due to fallen tree limbs that also caused several intersections to go dark. vehicles were damaged, and power lines were down on almost every other street. but the severe damage caused by last night's storm was not widespread, but actually more isolated. >> i was shocked when i got to this intersection and the light was out. because this was the first light that was out my whole way home. >> reporter: you were driving from where? >> i work out on route 50 near seven corners. >> reporter: so you didn't see any damage until you got to your own neighborhood. >> right. >> reporter: whole trees fell over. some blocked streets as entire root systems were exposed. but in most cases, it was the fallen limbs that caused the most damage. and not dead limbs, but healthy,

strong limbs ripped from healthy trees. >> we have some damage on the roof, a hole in the roof in the back of the house, we got leakage in the master bedroom. >> we had a branch probably -- several of them about this big come out of our trees. it just was whooshing around and stuff last night. >> it turned black outside and there was tremendous noise. and i think all of the trees fell at the same time. >> reporter: mary green lost quite a few trees in her backyard, and lost her oak in the front. she is now dealing with damage to some of her windows and gutters, but luckily the structure appears okay. where do you begin when you have this kind of mess in your yard? >> i don't know, it took 911 a while to get here, and the insurance company -- it took hours to get through to the insurance company, as well. and today is a holiday, so they won't get back to us until tomorrow. >> we called insurance, the tree removal company. but i guess with all of the damage, we're not sure how soon they'll be out here. >> reporter: since thousands are still in the dark, neighbors took to the streets taking pictures and surveying damage,

and many are already looking forward to the rest of their 4th of july, trying to figure out how that's going to turn out. >> probably going to head down to fredricksburg to my mother-in-law's. >> reporter: where there's some air conditioning and light. >> electricity, exactly. >> reporter: tracee wilkins, news4. dominion expects to have power restored to audiologist of its customers in our area by tomorrow morning. flames ripped through a house in herndon today. the two-alarm fire broke out on misty dawn court, just after 1:00 this afternoon. fire sped from the rear of the townhouse to the home next to it. no word on a cause, and no injuries are reported. an rv fire shut down the gw parkway this morning. it happened in the southbound lanes near gravelly points around 7:30 this morning. the driver attempted to pull into gravelly point after the rv caught fire. but the fire engulfed the vehicle before the driver made the turn. the rv was completely destroyed. but the driver was able to get

out safely. >> the los alamos national laboratory in new mexico will be reopened for employees on wednesday, because the threat from the largest wild fire in that state's history has passed. the director of los alamos says the nuclear research facility escaped major damage from that blaze. the lab in the town of los alamos was evacuated one day after a tree fell on to power lines, sparking this fire. residents were allowed to return yesterday. the fire remains a threat to some lands that are held sacred by native american tribes. there's an extra celebration at the white house this independence day. the president and first lady have invited hundreds of troops and their families from across the country to a special barbecue at the white house. they'll have one of the best views of tonight's fireworks from the south lawn. and it's also a special day for the president's eldest daughter, malia. she turns 13 today. her younger sister, sasha, turned 10 last month. still ahead on news4 at 5:00, the final phase of the casey anthony trial.

her fate is now in the hands of the jury. after the break, we'll have the series of decisions that panel has to now make. plus, an annual tradition one northwest d.c. neighborhood. this parade isn't like others you'll see. and the dog that created a ruckus in downtown frederick this weekend, bolting down the ♪ [ woman ] sam begged and pleaded... so i sent him to camp.

we'd earned lots of points with our new citi thankyou card... and i put them to good use. he told me about his bunkmates, and how he signs up for every activity. ♪ he even hangs out with the camp director. just like that. [ male announcer ] the new citi thankyou premier card gives you more ways to earn points. what's your story? citi can help you write it. gives you more ways to earn points. got the mirrors all adjusted? you can see everything ok? just stay off the freeways, all right?

i don't want you going out on those yet. and leave your phonen your purse, i don't want you texting. >> daddy... ok! ok, here you go. be careful. >> thanks dad. >> and call me--but not while you're driving. we knew this day was coming. that's why we bought a subaru.

know with is vtdw northern virginia wants to know who is the new multimillionaire. the giant grocery store on he will done street in herndon sold the winning ticket, $107 million jackpot. that's what it was. he or she has not come forward yet. i hope they know who they are. >> it ain't us. we're here working on the holiday. >> i know. the nation's capital gets a lot of attention on the 4th for well-orchestrated parades, concerts, and, of course, our fireworks. >> yeah, but away from the monuments, the quiet palisades parade in northwest d.c. brings

out the home spun nature of the city's local neighborhoods. tom sherwood takes us there. ♪ >> reporter: from a bluesy beat -- to traditional marching band tubas. and, of course -- ♪ the official bureaucratic image of washington, d.c. >> this is an authentic hometown parade. >> reporter: and you pawear sil glasses. >> some people do. not me. chaos. we all try to take ourselves seriously. >> i haven't missed this parade in years. it's just a fun thing to do. traditional as you get. >> happy birthday, happy 4th. >> reporter: as families line bouth sides of mccarthur boulevard, just regular folks from the neighborhood showed up to be in the parade. police chief cathy lanier rode with her pet dog po-po, a nickname for police.

>> when did we want it? yesterday! >> reporter: activists for voting rights made their annual appeal. and while local politicians handed out extra beads and candy, mary shea handed out dried copies of the u.s. constitution. you're giving out candy. >> i have to tell you, the kids are scrambling after the candy, not the constitution. >> reporter: there was a little flavor with traditional dancers, and uncle sam. does anyone really know who uncle sam is anymore? made their rounds, concerned that a recent national poll showed a lot of ignorance about the 4th of july. >> 25% don't know we declared our independence from england. >> really? well -- >> reporter: you've got to do a better job. >> i guess i do. >> reporter: some were too young to know anything about patriotism, but that could come another day. tom sherwood, news4, washington. the palisades parade is followed by a community cookout at a nearby rec center that also

draws thousands of people, wendy. >> i think it's that camera. >> this one. >> no -- which camera is it? how does sherwood get to cover that parade every year? >> uh-huh. for 20 years! >> he's really loud. >> he is. >> and he has been doing it for 20 years. >> exactly. >> good for him. >> he gets his pick on a holiday. i get to pick which camera. because it's a holiday. there we are. and look who is here! >> hey, so what is coming our way? where is it, where is it going? >> right now we've got storms in portions of west virginia, but most of these as they're moving our way are dying out. >> oh. >> that's good news. >> but i still think we're going to see some shower activity in parts of the area, but most of the festivities tonight i think are going to be a-okay, at least around 9:00 to 9:30. let's take a look first off with the festivities inside the district, 7th and constitution earlier today. a lot of kids out taking a breather, and people out and about enjoying it. look at this little girl. hmmm. loving what's happening out there during the day today,

enjoying the july 4th sbrass across our area. out there now, you can see partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies. it is very warm and, yes, it's on the humid side, as well. but as far as the rain is concerned, there is good news here. live digital doppler radar, you can see the rain back towards the west around front royal, but this was in an area of thunderstorms earlier that's really falling apart as it moves east. so i'm not too worried about that. you also see the pink. those areas to the south are under a severe thunderstorm watch in effect until 10:00. and then these are the thunderstorms right here. these are in west virginia. they'll make their way into frederick county, virginia. but i believe these will die down as they make their way further east, too. that's good news for us. we have more towards pittsburgh and western portions of maryland right now. all of these showers trying to make their way eastward. but this is where the energy is around charlottesville. big storms here, severe thunderstorms in this region. but to the north, they just don't have the power. don't really have the kick. and that's good.

mother nature keeping her own fireworks south of us. so i think most of the area is going to be a-okay with temperatures falling down over the next couple hours. it's still going to be warm. 89 degrees now, winds on the calm side, dew point 63. that puts the heat index around 92 to 93 degrees. it's credible 90 in frederick, 84 in hagerstown, 85 in martinburg, and frederick at 88. here's the showers with the computer model around 7:00. you see some shower activity, no real thunderstorms here, but watch what happens by 9:00. they're all down to the south, a few light lingering showers possible. but 9:00, i think just about everybody in our area is going to be on the dry side. best chance we'll stay down to the south through the evening hours, maybe towards southern maryland around st. mary's county, and you are under that severe thunderstorm watch toward southern maryland. so the national mall, i think, 80 degrees. yes, we'll have to say a storm possible. but i think that will stay well to our south. i think we're going to get the fireworks off a-okay. i don't think we'll see any problems there. but if you're going down now, you may want to take an umbrella

just in case you see a shower out there. tomorrow, we'll see that frontal boundary move further south, so our chance of storms moves south. but they come right back up during the day on wednesday. and that's kind of what we're going to see in week. partly 66 to 71 as you make your way into tomorrow morning. tomorrow afternoon, mostly sunny with clouds making their way in the afternoon. looking dry. the best chance, really the only chance of rain will stay to our south. temperatures tomorrow right around 90 degrees. we'll stick around 90 on wednesday and on thursday. drop just a little bit into the upper 80s friday, but still rather hot and humid with a 30% to 40% chance of showers. and coming up on friday, we've got a good one this week. our backyard weather, we want to come out to your backyard. if you would like us to come to your backyard, send us pictures of your yard to nbc washington.com. >> the important thing to know that once he comes to your backyard, he does go home. >> after lots of food in him. because this guy can put it away. >> the other day friday was

good. >> yeah, it looked -- >> nice house and nice backyard. >> fantastic. >> yeah, we were about to head over there. for like, you know, last call. >> i invited you. >> yeah. thank you, doug. still ahead on news4 at 5:00 tonight, officials cracked down this 4th of july on fireworks they say could cause serious injury. plus a new treatment doctors say they're hoping could repair injury caused by a stroke. and quickest and many of the

the secret service is now joining the investigations into who hacked into the fox news politics twitter account. and what was tweeted doesn't have very many people laughing today. the hackers got in around midnight and sent out six tweets. apologizedpo]qe distressa created. j'/ and they apologized for any distress those false tweets created. mcdonald's, burger king, kfc, taco bell, fast food royalty in this country. but smaller rivals are the real

winners when it comes to customer"7!on. reports" puts mcdonald's at the bottom. n-n-out took the top spot. chick-fil-a signature sandwich reined is up premium. the colonel at the bottom. and for southwest cuisine, chipolte was the clear winner with taco bell coming in second to last. most people surveyed found the big four chains to have uninspiring food and only so-so service. this is a note to people who own big dogs, especially great danes. don't attach them to your table when you're eating. this dog named cliff caused a lot of drama over the weekend. we're told the whole city of frederick in maryland was out looking for him. his owners were eating outside on saturday and they tied cliff's leash to the table. something caught old cliff's eye, and off he went and off when the table and umbrella with him. a lot of people saw him, but no one could catch him. cliff's best pal, grant there in the picture put up more than 100

flyers while the search for cliff continued. and this morning, the great dane was found in some bushes, tired and dehydrated. his paws were injured. and he still had part of that table attached to him. his owners tell us he is going to be okay. >> but did he catch the squirrel? that's what i want to know. what was he going after? something like that. >> a table and an umbrella -- i'm surprised they couldn't find the dog with a table and umbrella attached to him. >> yeah, a red flag.c still to come, d.c. police confiscate hundreds of py pyrotechnics they say would have made for a very dangerious independence day. independence day.

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ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. jefferson's home in virginia today to celebrate their first july 4th as american citizens. a fast4ward through the headlines. a day at the beach tragic for one family at sandy point state park. a young boy drowned in four feet of water. restor not wearing more t it's important for all parents to close attention to their small children when at the beach. dominion power is working to restore electricity to more than 3,000 customers now after last night's big storm's. high winds knocked down power lines all over the area. one of the hardest hit was maryland. dominion expects to have 4th 1 morning. bing 8" try to see h good weat

fireworks. the capital 4th celebration and concert on the mall kicks off at 8:00. >> the fireworks start at 9:15. clets see how the weather is going to be. doug? >> i think it's going to hold up, although you may want to take the umbrella with you if some of the other local fireworks displays, manassas, places like that. there may be some showers.o;ñ v more ominous than it is. owards to county]ar1md.k?'can wherecj owards to county in west virginia is where the strongest storm is now. it does have lightning associated with >> go to storms, though, and the showers to die out asçp nk day ceremonieñév

celebrating independence day by becoming u.s. citizens. naturalization ceremonies took place around the country. this one at monticello outside ration years.ú.t from ozk( % for many people a cc1rs. e!mj5ers, of american citizenship, when it serves as the back drop to the most prideful swearing in ceremony of the country. she symbolic is it to be

naturalized atom as jefferson's home? think of getting married up courthouse and a grand cathedral. she was born and raised in the former czechoslovakia. she grew up poor with few opportunities. is.she americané this iscin it took ten years for li >> so has her ch but the >> reporter: so ame has her life changed? well, forhing, she can fonw. she can now brag to people that she is an american citizen. the mendoza family has waited a

long time for today's ceremony. after safely making it out of el salvador, jose and jenny have carved out a life for themselves kids in school and a steady income, the last step will be completing their citizenship today. >> i come to appreciate the life that family,m from given me, that family,m from given me, and it means t the rightu live the life they lived. >> reporter: it's been a long road this family, from the move up application process, right up to the challenging nationalization test. >> we are very thankful like ev dreamtrue. >> reporter: of july#efestivit here today, heads off to enjoy their 4th of july festivities, they'll do so for the first time as american citizens. since 1963, more than 3,000

people have become citizens on illegal fireworks tonight. d.c. police have already seized more than 2,000 illegal fireworks from the district in holiday weekend. most cand northeast and a van in southeast yesterday. those fireworks have an estimated street value of almarylan ye ft. veteran; shirleynhx/3 ?0 retired of july cel military mz foodk! and?9nter: spi+yfs, vietnam v grande has brought lov family to the 4th of july celebration here at ft. mead. she comes what plenty of food and patriotic

the troops. >>ago. a flag-lover. i love the united states, and independence to me is showing my freedom, what i fought for, what our soldiers are fighting for birthday, ft. mead rolled out allpro been for the military families to enjoy independence day. it's had fun bouncing in the k clearlyr÷yo the country in the. having traveled throughout the world, seeing other countries and what they do, for us is clearly the best country in the world. >> reporter: this event, which fireworks spectacle tonight of the military are here not you> doxgtime with family, but also thinking aboutamer wio

but is we're keeping you in our prayers, comyneemead,wki do for. and for america. and oiffen, tourna continue bandí3éd g on sta takoma park, maryland,+imf dir ration fhfaebeecfg -rdmle,kaun u about%s (eg

tomorrow, accusing strauss-kahn of sexually assaulting her several years ago.+ the writer forpslander. a>a stz the writer forpslander. a>a stz on tol÷@contóa's of s liv the writer forpslander. a>a stz on tol÷@contóa's of s liv the kincaids live here. across the street, the padillas. ben and his family live here, too. ben's a re/max agent, and he's a big part of this community. there are lots of reasons why re/max agents average more sales than other agents. experience, certainly. but maybe it's also because they care about the markets they serve and the neighbors who rely on them. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today.

doctors at the los angeles brain and spine institute are working on a new stem cell therapy for stroke patients.

the new treatment may repair damage caused by a stroke, as opposed to the current protocol, which essentially consists of physical therapy and an aspirin regimen. in the experimental treatment, bone marrow was taken from a person's hip, and processed to remove pure stem cells. then those stem cells are reinfused. >> insert a catheter from the groin artery into the brain artery on the infected side of the brain and inject these five milliliters of stem cells. in animals, the chemical levels in the brain go up. the actual physical injury to the brain is reduced. motor function in the animals has increased and blood flow has increased significantly. >> reporter: the stem cell treatment is part of a double blind clinical trial in which neither the doctor nor the patient knows who receives the experimental treatment versus the placeboo. but so far the results seem promising. writing prescriptions using a computer isn't much safer than doing it the old fashioned way.

a new study found that computer-generated prescriptions contain just as many errors as those written by hand. the study found that one in every ten electronic prescriptions had at least one error. about a third of the mistakes has the potential to harm patients. the most common errors are incorrect abbreviations, and omitting how long a medication should be taken. coming up in sports, the nationals overcome some early-inning duds to provide some extra-inning fireworks at the ballpark. >> you're watching news4 at 5:00 this independence day, and we're coming right back.

there's no better place to celebrate the birth of our nation than dc. hundreds of thousands making their way on to the city for the night's marquis event to our fireworks. nbc 4's megan mcgrath spent the morning on the mall where some people got up at the crack of dawn for the best seat in the house. >> reporter: a hot and hazy day hasn't dampened the spirit of the crowd. they are ready to have a good time. >> we bought food, chairs, we have umbrellas, we have everything to keep us comfortable and to make sure that we have the right food. and we're ready. >> reporter: it's only 8:00 a.m., 13 hours before the start of the fireworks. and the geko family has staked out their spot. and they're willing to sit for

hours in the heat to hold on to it. >> so you're just relaxing. >> absolutely. it's a wonderful day, perfect weather and a great view, and people watching. i'm enjoying it all. >> reporter: for many, this is an annual ritual. for others, it's their first time in washington for the big celebration. >> i've always wanted to come to washington, d.c. and this was my chance, and i am so excited, because i've never been here. just the history. i wanted to see a lot of the museums, and just can't wait. it's very exciting to be here. >> reporter: security is tight this year, because of concerns about possible terrorism. police have cordoned off the national mall. you can't just walk up and stake your claim. everyone must pass through one of the security check points. >> there's going to be different levels of searches that may take place. we have a robust security plan in place, so that we can have this as a real safe event. >> reporter: megan mcgrath, news4. okay, let's check out that fireworks forecast one more

time. doug, how about it? >> i think we're still looking good out there. we have some showers outside right now, but i think most of the activity will move through by the 9:00 hour. and that's when most of the fireworks are going off. 89 degrees out there now, a dew point of 63. so that heat index above 90. right now 91 degrees, at reagan national airport. that is live digital doppler radar. you can see the rain, mostly down towards fredricksburg, shower activity in culpeper county, even portions of fauquier county seeing shower activity. and hampshire county and west virginia moving into frederick county, virginia. and i do expect showers to continue to linger. there is some lightning associated with those storms in west virginia, but most of the storms as they move to the east are continuing to die out. and that's good news. so if you're thinking about heading out to fireworks activities, how about annapolis at 80 degrees, mostly cloudy, looking good. i think we'll be good in annapolis tonight. what about reston towards herndon? same deal. this is around lake fairfax area, 79 degrees, mostly cloudy, looking dry.

i do think you'll see a shower or two between now and 9:00. but i think by the time those fireworks go off, we are going to be a-okay. and the national mall, well, we've got storms possible, but i think they will stay to the south. temperatures around that 80 degree mark. so i think we're going to be looking good all across the area. only biggest area of concern maybe toward fredricksburg. i think you have the best chance of seeing storms. 90 degrees tomorrow. 90 on your wednesday. 90 on thursday. and temperatures on friday around 88, just a chance for some showers and thunderstorms just about each day. guys? >> not bad. thank you, doug. they were celebrating out at nats park before the fireworks tonight. >> it turns out this holiday now marks a milestone for a nationals fee none. bryce harper promoted from hagerstown to aa harrisburg. he'll take the field tonight. meanwhile, the nationals gave fans a reason to celebrate early. it was jayson werth who provided the brightest of daytime fireworks as the nationals beat the cubs. it was an extremely festive 4th of july at the ballpark.

but it didn't start that way for the nationals. top of the fourth, 2-1, former nats sorano pops up the shallow right. no one calls for it. jayson werth cannot decide so it falls. marlin bird is going to try. so the cubs take a 3-2 lead. werth, though, would atone for the gaffe later. so it's the bottom of the tenth now. tied at 4. carlos under the pitch. that is the winning run. the nationals beat the cubs 5-4 in ten innings. and he needed that, because he had been booed by nationals' fans as reasonabcently as yeste. so this is great for werth. but he is getting $126 million. >> yeah. don't feel too sorry for him. >> the nationals aren't the only team looking to get back to winning ways. d.c. united has only won at home one time. but head coach ben olson stopped by to tell us why that should change soon and why this club is one of the most exciting to watch.

>> this is one of the best players this league has ever seen. he's a guy that's going to help us get over that hump offensively. makes us a very good team. and, you know, i'm looking for big things. i hope people check him out. these trades don't happen very often, and players don't come along like him. he's the best player this team has seen since moreno. so you can compare him to him. >> do you think you'll ever celebrate with him after a goal -- his walk -- he's got that thing going on. he's got his own. >> i'll do anything if these guys get me a win. i'll do anything they want me to do. >> speaking of winning, you had one more win only at home since. how important is it for you guys to snap that winless streak? >> all it takes is one win to kind of start getting on that roll. it will come. we have a great test this weekend against new york. who is ahead of us as well in our conference. so it's an important game.

but, again, it just takes one to open it up. i think the performance has been pretty good. just seeing that last ten minutes, if we can get that right, we're only a couple points out of a playoff spot. >> so it's been six months, right, since you took over as head coach. what has been -- >> six months to three years. >> right, exactly. what has been the biggest surprise, though, to you? i know you knew what the job entailed. but there must be something that you said, wow, i didn't expect that aspect. >> well, i got a little glimpse of it last year. you know, in the interim basis. but now coming as the full-time coach, i didn't realize how consuminging it was. it's really a -- it's on my mind, the team, and managing and all that encompasses this job. it's a lot. but it's wonderful. i feel very comfortable in the role. but it's definitely a pretty time-consuming gig right now. >> what's been the most fun part for you? especially since you played and

you're a fan favorite for so long, and now being the coach and having that responsibility? >> i still love being with the team. you know, coming from being a player, i still love being with the guys and having the relationships with players and the coaching staff and trainers and just being a unit. i'm a bit of an idealist with d.c. united. i grew up here, so i view it as a family and try to keep that spirit alive with the group i have. and the staff around me. ben olson knows it will turn around soon. the player he was speaking been in the beginning is duane de rossario, so talented. a reason you should go down there to see the games. if you can bear the heat. >> yeah. >> but they have fans and things like that. >> that's part of soccer. >> they've got the best fans in the country, so -- >> thank you, lindsay. the fate of casey anthony is now in the hands of the jury. after the break, the series of decisions the panel has to make. and what the prosecution

said about her motive. for all your news, follow news4 online. search nbc washington on facebook and twitter. we're coming back. and coming up tonight on news4 at 6:00 in a few minutes, a motorcycle ride to protest new york's helmet law cost one biker his life. exxonmobil under fire after a major oil spill in montana's yellowstone river. 30 years of history revealed. tonight we're going to take you inside the secret bunker designed to keep members of congress safe during the cold war. [ man ] i got this new citi thankyou card

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right now, the jury is deliberating in the casey anthony murder trial. they received the case about -- after hearing the prosecution finish its rebuttal closing argument this morning. it has been a long six weeks, but for the jury the hardest part is still ahead of them. jay gray has the latest from orlando. >> reporter: after more than six weeks -- >> state's exhibit m -- >> reporter: -- of testimony -- >> that's correct. >> reporter: -- and tears. evidence and arguments -- >> whether it's this laughing guy right here or whether it's myself. >> objection. >> sustained. approach the bench. >> reporter: the casey anthony murder case is now in the hands of the jury. >> they are going to consider

second degree murder, manslaughter, third degree felony murder, and two types of first degree murder, by the way. premeditated and felony murder. they don't even have to degree on which it is, as long 12 think it's first degree murder, and six other counts. so it is complicated. >> reporter: the prosecution got the last word this morning. >> to say that there is no evidence to connect casey anthony to caylee's death ignores all of this evidence. >> reporter: the rebuttal to the closing argument from the defense first focused on science, then shifted to the accused. >> pathological liar. >> reporter: three times during the rebuttal, casey seemed to respond. the first as ashton talked about her father. >> but george is not this machiavellian, self-interested monster. >> reporter: she could be seen mouthing, yes he is. and his verdict described the evidence in the case. >> even george anthony didn't have access to all of these things. only casey anthony did.

>> reporter: she seemed to say that's not true. then as verdict discussed casey blaming her dad, she mouthed "it's his fault." the fault and her fate now to be decided by the five men and seven women locked in deliberations here. when they do reach a decision in the case, judge belvin perry has indicated he will give about a 30 minute warning before announcing that verdict in court. in orlando, jay gray, news4. now, during yesterday's proceedings, the judge also threw out the information about casey being possibly sexually abused by her father and her brother. he told the jurors that is not considered evidence, and we just received late word that there will be no verdict today. the jury has stopped deliberating for the day. they'll reconvene at 8:30 tomorrow morning. that does it for news4 at 5:00. we'll be back tomorrow. news4 at 6:00 starts right now. you're watching nbc 4, washington's news leader. now, live in hd, this is news4

at 6:00. tonight, a little boy drowned in a maryland state park. his sexual assault case in new york may be on shaky ground, but dominique strauss-kahn is facing a new investigation in his native france. and people are cleaning up now after those severe storms last night left a trail of damage and knocked out power to thousands of people. good evening, i'm jim vance. >> i'm dorene rieger. right now, thousands are packing international mall. three hours ahead of tonight's show. the president is hosting a barbecue for military families at the whitehouse, and it wouldn't be independence day without the annual nathan's hot dog eating contest in coney island. but before we get to the festivities, let's get to the forecast. doug, how is it looking? >> i think we're looking okay. areas down to the south around fredricksburg, manassas, portions of southern maryland, you folks have a chance for at least the best chance of seeing some rain this